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Worker Cooperatives, An Introduction

This course will offer a general overview of the worker cooperative business model, in context of the history of cooperatives and international definitions of cooperatives. A multimedia approach will be used combining lectures, case studies, panel discussion, films, and games to help students learn about the unique challenges of worker ownership. A specific focus of the course will include the governance and accountability models used to manage business in which the employees own and control their workplace and how worker owners balance the needs of the business with the needs of the individual member. Students will complete a research project comparing either the governance or accountability model of an existing worker coop to a traditional business within the same industry.